Hi!

I FINISHED IT! I'm done reading the book (more like I finished it a long time ago, like three weeks ago, but whatever…). I feel a sense of accomplishment, here. And, to all who have read it and understand what I mean, I must point out that the Torture Chamber is CREEPY! Goodness Gracious, at first I didn't understand the situation of how it would turn into a desert scene, but when I found out that the torture would end with the person hanging themselves in their own misery, I got creeped out. It would make anyone shiver!

The number one scariest thing about it (in my opinion) was when Erik was in Raoul's room and Raoul could see Erik's yellow eyes glowing at the foot of his bed. And when Raoul would turn his lamp on, the eyes would disappear, then reappear as the lamp was put out! That scared the CRAP out of me! I refused to look at the foot of my bed at night for a whole week!

Oh well, all is read and done, so I can continue.

Strodgfrgf- I hear it doesn't take much to find the book; I've seen it before at just random and popular book stores. Just a normal book place should be where to look. If you want the book I read, then get the one by Gaston Leroux. There is also one written by Susan Kay (I think she wrote it in the 1990's but Leroux was the first, since he wrote his in 1911). I haven't read the Susan Kay novel, though.

StarGazingMoonPrincess- heeheehee…I feel special now…

Smart One- it's alright, I answer everyone's reviews…thank you so much for liking my story so much! You like my name? THANK YOU! I don't know why that makes me so giddy…you're not allowed to be a member of this site! NOT FAIR FOR YOU! You must persuade whoever is holding you back to let you! It is a wonderful experience, and is a constant way to improve writing skills (it has helped ME improve, at least). I like your idea…this Jamie person sounds a little like me (except for the mutating, I would be too chicken to do that…). And don't worry, the longer the review, the better!

Wylkin- squee! That's such a fun word! Sometimes even I forget that Red X is the Phantom, that's why I try to remind myself and my readers through little descriptions of his hawt X'ed self! And, don't worry, I don't expect most people to recognize the previous chapter, although part of it was in the musical (the "tangle" part, to be exact). Thanks again!

Jackalobe- Jackalobe, Rose, whatever, I always remember you as the same person. Oh, yes, I know exactly which tune you are thinking of, and yes, it is horribly catchy and very hard to remove from your head! And, do you know what the words mean? I wouldn't go as far as saying they were perverted, but they do have sexual meaning. A lot. I would say, YES, it is VERY bold indeed. Well, Speedy is supposed to be a loser, isn't he? I mean, he's PIANGI for Pete's sake! Piangi is quite a bit of a loser, so I guess that could explain why I made him act that way. Although, Speedy does fit the description pretty well, don't you think?

Laurashrub- yes! Tense is good! Glad you still like it!

Well, this Author's Note was a bit shorter than usual…

Kori thrust her once sleeping head forward from her pillow, with her long red hair swaying behind her from the sudden swoop. Her eyes watered subconsciously at her current dream she was relieved to escape. She rolled her eyes to her strangely adorned alarm clock: 3:12 a.m. was what the blindingly red numbers shined at her in the darkened room.

She brought her head back down to her pillow sadly, her glassy eyes refusing to let the tears fall. She had yet another dream about him. Throughout all this time of her hypnotism and confusion with the Phantom, she had thought she had finally removed her head from the wonderful but horribly depressing memories of her father. She thought wrong.

It was between random phases of months to weeks at a time ever since his death that she would dream of her father. After each phase, there would hardly be another for about another year or two, depending on how happy her current situation stood. The times would sometimes lead to the girl becoming vulnerable to any and every emotion that ever occurred in her mind, for these times were terribly sensitive for her. She tried her hardest to repress her memories, knowing they only caused pain.

Kori brought her drowsy eyes to the alarm clock: 3:28. Why did time have to fly its fastest when she was trying to sleep? She would never consider herself an insomniac, but current events would accuse her of such. It took her two to three hours each night to get to sleep nowadays, following with repeated wake-ups around the same parts of the night, like the three-o-clock hour for example. Kori swished her purple covers over her head and slowly trailed off to sleep with her own saddening thoughts swirling through her mercilessly.

When the loud blaring of her alarm clock sounded three hours later as her permanent wake-up call, she stared at the opposing wall for a minute or so. Her father then reluctantly burst into her mind without warning, causing her to groan with despair. She held her head in her hands and her musing came to a final decision: she needed to visit her father's grave. In between her phases of depression she would go to his tombstone to place hand-picked flowers. This would normally calm her distressed soul and would sometimes even free her of her momentary sadness.

It was decided. She was going to visit him. Saying it to herself was even comforting, knowing that in the end it would bring her peace.

She went to school the same day a bit lighter, almost looking forward to her visit to the graveyard. Raven, who sat next to her in her pre Calculus class, noticed the change in the redhead. After a half hour of silence from Kori, who usually chatted nonstop to Raven throughout the course, Raven finally slammed her pre Cal book shut, turning to the normally bubbly sophomore.

"Alright, what is it?" She said it with no annoyance in her voice whatsoever, but still contained her usual demanding tone.

Kori snapped her head up from where it had been drooping slightly.

"What? Oh," She said grimly, "It is nothing, friend Raven…"

Before she could invent a false excuse, Raven cut her off shortly.

"Kori, you haven't said two words today, and you didn't even do that irritating giggle of yours when Gar slipped on his own pencil."

"…but you did…" Kori mumbled sheepishly.

Raven's eyes turned into deadly slits as they narrowed with a forced anger trying helplessly to hide her embarrassment.

"I had something in my throat" she said coldly, but with pinkened cheeks, "and I had to choke."

"I apologize, Raven. We are not to be talking in class. We might get into trouble."

"No we won't," Raven said casually, "she's letting us work freely, meaning we can talk all we want."

Raven took note that Kori had lost her enthusiasm in which she usually said her words when speaking. Raven's eyes calmed and held the concern it carried when she originally started their conversation.

"Listen, Kori," She said calmly, "What's bothering you? Whatever it is, it's pretty obvious."

"I have been…thinking about my father." Kori said reluctantly.

"Thinking or preventing from thinking?"

"Both are similar to my musings, yes."

"Well," Raven implied, a little more interested, "Have you let yourself cry?"

"What?" Kori looked at her confusedly.

"Do you stop yourself before you're about to cry, or do you just let it out?" Raven returned.

"I…am not sure. I do not know if it is of great importance, friend Raven."

"It's very important," Raven said sternly, "It's not healthy to keep your emotions bottled up inside you like that."

"But…" Kori looked thoroughly confused now, "what about you? I have never seen you show such emotion that you claim it is unhealthy to conceal."

"I am only careful with my feelings. I do not smother them with repression or denial."

Kori only cocked her head.

"But what about your crush on Ga…" before Kori could finish, a pale hand had slapped over her mouth with intense speed and irritation. The immediate contact with Raven's hand so violently hit on her face caused Kori to yelp in surprise.

"Not a word…got me?"

Raven only cautiously removed her blockade from Kori's use of words before she was able to speak again.

"Yes. Of course. But I only suspected, I never knew…"

"That's not what I'm trying to tell you." Raven said irritably. She continued on momentarily after a comfortable pause between the two.

"The point is that you need to accept whatever is making you sad, in this case, your father, and try your hardest to cope with it." Raven's voice lowered a tad, so that Kori had to lean her ear in a bit.

"I am sorry though, about your father," She said reluctantly, "No one should be deprived of a parent." After another comfortable pause she said, a little sadder, "At least you loved your father."

"And you don't? Friend Raven, at least your father is still living! Why on Earth would you not love and treasure him beyond all measure?"

Raven's eyes then became utterly fascinated with the tiles on the floor and said in a quiet tone,

"I have my reasons."

Kori did not press the subject, nor did she want to, she knew she was trodding on unfriendly territory. She changed the subject slightly, speaking with a bit more confidence than as of late.

"I am going to see his grave tonight." She said with a weak smile.

"That should help," Raven replied, "many claim that it is easing."

"I believe it will be." Kori responded calmly. She shook a breath from her mouth that had been holding itself in for awhile. She waited patiently for the bell to sound before leaving the classroom with musing thoughts.

After school Richard ran as fast as he could in attempt to catch Raven. When he finally caught her arm, he breathlessly made his request.

"Raven…can you tell me…what's been up with Kori?"

Raven narrowed her eyes a bit, pondering what to tell him.

"She's a bit depressed about her father."

"What? Her father?" Richard squished his face confusedly, "She's never even mentioned him to me before."

"She doesn't like to talk about it." Raven replied, "You know he died when she was little, right?"

"Well, I never really knew anything about her family life," Richard said with a pause, "Is that why she's been so droopy?"

"I would assume," said the Goth dryly.

"Do you know where she'll be?"

"She said something about visiting his grave late tonight." Raven looked at his immediate reaction, "and it would be best if you left her alone right now."

"But, do you even know what time she would be going?"

"It's not like it's any of your concern, but Kori did say something about always visiting her father's tombstone at midnight. It seemed to give her more privacy to know that most would be asleep at that hour."

"Thanks, Raven…" Richard said with a quick wave, and before the girl could protest against any actions she knew he would take, the boy was gone in a flash.

Hours later, Richard glanced at his clock. 11:30. She would be leaving soon. He wanted to follow her there, not to be overly protective, but to watch her in her times of sadness as to get a glimpse of how she really felt. Because quite frankly, she hadn't spoken to him in a week. She had been too occupied to regard anyone's presence other than her own at the time, and Richard sought a time where he could be with her, but without her feeling distant or uncomfortable.

He leapt down his stairs and out of his house, casually unhooking a coat from its hinge on his way out; he had a knack for those types of things. He slid out onto the slippery frozen sidewalk as the two-foot-deep snow sunk into his ankles. He skidded onto his motorcycle and drove off into the direction of the cemetery, where he knew his girlfriend would linger.

It was ten till midnight as Kori approached the graveyard of St. Mary from the dark sidewalk. She tugged her long black coat snugly around her frail figure as she looked up into the snow-speckled air. A little drizzle had started to fall minutes earlier. An unnaturally bright full moon being her only source of light, the girl walked through the creaky gates of iron and gazed about her surroundings.

Richard dismounted his motorcycle without a sound. He ran with an unknown agility and a steadfast silence as to make sure she didn't notice him. He hid in the bushes of the iron gated walls that surrounded the grounds. After peering through what seemed like pitch darkness, minus the moonlight, he finally saw the small form of Kori Anders passing through the gates without notifying his presence.

A light powder of March snow fluffed upon every erected cross, tombstone, and monument that was gracefully held in the ancient cemetery. Even the fresh flowers that adorned them all had recently been dampened with the white powder. The snow sprinkled lightly around and above the barren trees that expanded across the vast ground. Kori could feel the cold wretchedly clutch at her face as the wind flew bitterly, as if flowing straight through her layers upon layers of clothes. In the middle of the entire place stood St. Mary's, a little church that was often occupied by the mourning visitors. It was the oldest church around, and many civilians treasured the place with care. All in all, Kori found the place eerily but undoubtedly beautiful. She softly spoke into the dark night air, hoping her beloved deceased would hear her.

"Little Lotte thought of everything and nothing…
Her father promised her
That he would send her the Angel of Music.
Her father promised her…
Her father promised her…"

She bit her lip at the sight of the many frozen angels that had their stony eyes fixed upon her. She lowered her eyes and walked slowly onto the cold ground.

"You were once my one companion,
You were all that mattered.
You were once a friend and father,
Then my world was shattered."

She then raised her eyes up to the full moon that shined oh so brightly onto her paling face, on which was shown eminent sadness. The eerie moonlight reflected a sort of glow around everything present, making the scene seem almost surreal.

"Wishing you were somehow here again,
Wishing you were somehow near…
Sometimes it seemed
If I just dreamed,
Somehow you would be here…"

Kori stepped lightly on the snowy trail that led through the graveyard; again leaving no footsteps remaining after where she last stepped. The sight of death all around her seemed to take away the feeling of the chilly wind.

"Wishing I could hear your voice again,
Knowing that I never would…
Dreaming of you
Won't help me to do
All that you dreamed I could…"

She kept moving, her heart becoming heavier with each slow step. She blinked away a slushing snowflake that had melted onto her eyelash. She turned to her left on the winding trail of graves, her coat swishing behind her.

"Passing bells and sculpted angels,
Cold and monumental
Seem for you the wrong companions.
You were warm and gentle."

She made a swift right at an engraved cross and continued on in that direction. Her footsteps slowed as she finally reached her destination. A tall rectangular tombstone, about half her height, stood creepily out of line where none others stood. She stopped silently and stood sadly, knees shaking from frostbite.

"Too many years
Fighting back tears,
Why can't the past just die?"

She immediately yelled out loudly into the night with a woeful cry.

"Wishing you were somehow here again…"

She let several tears roll down her frozen cheeks as she sunk to the ground, kneeling in front of the grave. She hung her head downward, with a short sob escaping her. Opposite from her previous outburst, she brought her voice down to a soft whisper as she kept her eyes steadfastly held on the ground.

"Knowing we must say goodbye…"

She brought her crying face upward towards the clear starry sky and cried further, letting all of her tears rush free from its concealing prison of repression. He was gone. He was always gone. He was never coming back, and she knew it. He would never be near her again to comfort her with her sorrows. He would never again be there with her to tell her stories, kiss her forehead, tuck her in at night…Never again would he be at her side. He was her father, and he was gone. She sobbed without moving her gaze from the sky and cried.

"Try to forgive,
Teach me to live,
Give me the strength to try…"

By now her cries were becoming unruly and uncontrolled, as she bent her back forward, clutching her stomach with her small arms, forcing her tears out of her eyes. The tears poured by countlessly, as if there were always more behind, waiting to fall. She slammed her fist into the snowy ground with anger and grief.

"No more memories,
No more silent tears…"

She shook her head violently as she hit the ground again with her fist, letting out every sad feeling of loss and horrifying sadness that had stayed and remained inside her for over eight years. Her sobs still contained an unruly frenzy that would prove that this child had suffered more than one death in her life.

"No more gazing across
The wasted years…"

She suddenly quieted, her crying becoming softer, but showing no sign of stopping. She sniffed in the chilled air and gasped for breath as she wept silently. She straightened her back, but kept her head bent low. She folded her hands in prayer and kept them placed in her lap as her shoulders shook with each sob. Her vibrant hair whipped all around her as she raised her head yet again to the clear night sky, her eyes holding plea and want.

"Help me say goodbye…"

And she said no more, for she then lowered her face and closed her eyes, letting her head fall once more. She began to cry again, and covered her face, now wet with tears, into her cold nimble hands. She took no heed that the temperature continued to grow colder as she sat, the wind whipping all around her. She did not care about the cold anymore. She was too consumed in her own weeping to know of any other thought besides her father.

And there she sat, a young teenage girl crying in the bitter snow without a care of who saw her now. She wept in peace, and she let it all fall down without remorse. The beautiful voice of Kori Anders that once echoed off the cold stone surrounding was now replaced with the pitied cries of a lost child.

Oh, yes, I have a poll this time! Yay for me! And you all better answer them too!

1. What is your favorite genre?

2. What is your favorite color?

3. What is your ultimate favorite Rob/Star fic? (I want to read it, obviously…)

4. What is your outlook on school?

5. What is your favorite pairing?

6. Do you think Gerard Butler is hot?

7. Do you think that they made a good movie of Phantom of the Opera?

8. Of POTO, which do you prefer: The movie, musical, or the book (if you've read it)?

9. What is your favorite hobby?

10. What is your favorite food?

11. Honestly, (and really be honest) WHY do you like this fic?

12. Do you have a pet?

13. What is your favorite Phantom quote (SO stupid, I know, but I have to know…)?

14. Do you smoke?

15. What music do you adore?

Oops, that was a little long. Oh well, at least it makes a review pretty darn interesting…

Also, I'm pleased to announce that I am going to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in two days! YAY! I'm gonna be in a cabin on a lake in the middle of the wilderness, honestly miles from civilization! But seriously, it's fun. The name of the lake is Lake Tamarack, which, don't you think, sounds a whole lot like Starfire's home planet? (Tamaran—Tamarack: it sounds similar, OKAY?). Anyways, wish me luck! See you all soon! (not literally, but you know what I mean…).